Amidst fears that the country is falling back into Taliban-style rules and conservative power, the Afghan government is now considering a law that would ban men's jeans, long hair, makeup, and couples talking in public. This follows the government's recent attempts to ban popular Indian soap operas, and a recent high court decision to confirm the death sentences of 100 people.

The proposal to outlaw these things is also seen as a part of a large push for Islamic values by the country's ruling religious elite.

According to Haji Ahmad Shah Khan Achakzai, an MP in Kandahar, the law would boost moral and religious values for the Afghan people:

"Kabul has seen a wave of liberal, unwelcome influences of late," he said. "There are women dressed immodestly, prostitution can be found openly and even alcohol is available on the market. Our job is to protect the Afghan people from being exposed to this un-Islamic way of life and poor morals," he said.

But not everyone is in favor the the laws, and some of Afghanistan's more liberal MPs fear the loss of hard-fought freedoms, and the return of another Taliban ruling era.

Others warn that attempts to bring stability to the country could be jeopardized if these laws allowed to go through:

"If the internationals allow this to happen on their watch, Afghans will no longer trust them to help the country to get back on its feet. This could be a cause of a larger rift in political blocks.

It's in the interest of the religious elite to curb people's freedom and try to gain power this way. These MPs say they are guarding the religious and cultural values of Afghanistan whilst they are just hoping to win votes," said Dr. Hossain Ramoz of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission.